Spencer Needs More Money For Sidewalk Work

Spencer needs additional money to pay for the estimated $536,000 Sidewalk Project around the schools.

Aldermen approved the bid with the contingency that the city could find additional funding for the project. Engineering Consultant Zeida Hillis said that though the project only received one bid, if the city wanted to follow through with the project, the aldermen had no choice but to accept the bid.

“If we rebid it the time constraints we will lose all of the money,” Hillis said. “We just don’t have the time to do a rebid. We’ve already got the easements they have already been acquired. We’ve got easements all along that pathway. The city already has those recorded so all we lack is the construction phase.”

Hillis said T-DOT found another grant the city could apply for that would require the city to match the grant with $62,478. Alderman David Chandler said he was very thankful to see the school system offer half of the city’s match.

“That was a great help,” Chandler said. “I mean instead of $62,000 that the city would pay out it’s $31,000 and it’s a benefit for the school too. They are going to use this. I know a lot of the track team a lot of times runs up and down that street so this may be beneficial to them.”

Chandler said he is hoping to hear whether the city will receive the grant before January’s aldermen meeting. Chandler said the city would be on the ground running with the project if the city receives the grant.

“We need to get it completed because it has to be completed by July 31st,” Chandler said. “We want it done before June 30th that way we can finalize that last month of July and just complete the paperwork and get everything in making sure it’s all up to snuff that is according to the state.”

Chandler said several families on Billingsley Street would greatly benefit from the sidewalk going all the way down to the school. Hillis said since the aldermen approved to apply for the grant the city will send a letter to TDOT asking to receive the funds.